–

WE’RE HAVING A BABY!! (the obvious has to be stated shouted.)

through nearly six years of marriage, God has brought lee & i through ups and downs and developed our relationship into a “us” that gets better all the time. we worked through our initial parental hesitations and i faced my personal struggles, and we left the rest up to Him. His timing is perfect, as usual.

it’s been fun to share the news with family and friends personally, and enjoy each individual reaction and celebration periodically over the last few months. the first trimester was a breeze, with little to no morning sickness and normal energy levels. lee and i have spent the first half of the second trimester waiting eagerly for the emergence of a real pregnant belly. finally, this week, it feels like my baby bulge became a bona fide baby bump!

–

–

we’ve been so anxious to find out if we are having a boy or girl, because referring to our unborn child as “the baby” was getting old, and “it’ was banned from discussions about our little bean. (lee coined “himher” as our preferred pronoun). i was hoping for a boy, but completely happy with the thought of a little girl to grow up alongside her cousin caris.

when it came time to discover the gender of our offspring, we wanted to share the news with our family and closest friends in person, just as we had with revealing the existence of the new life. because gender reveal parties are so popular right now, i had no shortage of adorable inspiration via the internet and pinterest. it was fun to piece together bits i liked with my own ideas.

i went with a black & white theme to highlight the Big Question, and served snacks to satisfy a variety of food cravings (one symptom of pregnancy i have definitely experienced).

–

“salty” popcorn, black & white candy, and “chewy” chocolate marshmallows

“sour” pickle olive cheese rolls, “crunchy” chips & black bean dip, and “sweet” oreos

–

i love any excuse to gather with my favorite people, but this occasion felt extra-special. i’m so grateful that we have supportive family and friends who love to celebrate life’s milestones with us.

–

–

–

although only one of us likes surprises ( ), i talked lee into letting the Big Reveal come with festive flair among our loved ones rather than a simple statement from an unfamiliar ultrasound technician. he loves me.

my dad came with us to view the sonogram and collect the pertinent intel, and then prepped the party reveal. waiting was hard, but totally worth it, in my opinion.

–

–

after reading aloud the creative variety of name suggestions and taking the old wives tales survey to determine the “likely” gender, the party decorations became the revealing apparatus. everyone had a string to pull and their own shower of confetti!

–

–

IT’S A BOY! — IT’S A BOY! — IT’S A BOY! — IT’S A BOY! — IT’S A BOY!

–

-

our little man is due to arrive in late october, and we can’t wait to meet him.

this saturday has been so full that my weekly summary is  bit late – after working in my hometown all week, my whole family rolled in for the weekend (17 of us from 3 different states) for a way-too-short visit (it always is). this evening i had a blast at megan’s book release party. it was wonderful to be among old friends and celebrate our new oklahoma author. i loved when she read a short passage – it was fun to hear an excerpt of the book in megan’s own voice.

i finally got around to trying this savory, veggie-filled egg muffins recipe. it was so simple and tasty, but they didn’t reheat as well as i’d hoped. kinda eliminated the idea of making them as an easy take-a-long breakfast option.

we celebrated my titu‘s 92nd birthday this week with almost all of her kids and grandkids present. she was thrilled with her birthday present: an new iPad! now she can skype with her family and browse our facebook pages and look photos we email to her and play sudoku… “ooh, everyone’s going to be jealous of me!” you have no idea, titu.

this thursday an event focused on foster care, the 8308 Conference, will be held at journey church in norman. 8308 is the number of children who were in OKDHS custody on january 1st of this year. the event is designed to help connect Oklahoma faith communities with resources and information to help members become involved with and aid children in the state’s foster care program. the conference is free and not just for church leaders — anyone interested in providing support to the foster care program in oklahoma can read more details here and register for the event here.

i love words, even the nonsense ones. the history of the longest nonsensical word was a pretty entertaining read.

this video of cain’s arcade has been making the rounds online, and i have to say, i think it is worth the 10 minutes to watch. what a clever little boy!

i can imagine it would be difficult to come up with creative ways to photograph your children after awhile. one dad is thinking way outside the frame with an assortment of imaginative photos of his daughters (with a little editing trickery, granted).

i have lots of goals for this coming week. wish me luck! i hope you have a productive week as well.

.

i don’t really feel qualified to offer a bona fide review of this book, because i have no personal experiences in parenting to reflect from. but i can speak to the quality of the writing, the wonderful conversational ease of the style, and the soundness of the scriptural foundation.

megan and laura have shared openly their own struggles as first-time moms, and the road that led them into joyful and enriching motherhood. they have created a parenting book that is the opposite of a detailed how-to manual. rather than listing every do and don’t, the authors outline the attitudes of raising a child as you seek God’s guidance in every step.

this book gives me hope for the time when i walk through the first year of mommyhood, and i already feel the release of the subconscious apprehension i’ve always felt when thinking about getting motherhood right. the principles and lessons they share have already begun to work on the maturity of my character and the stubbornly self-centered parts of my spirit.

speaking from my own place in life, i highly recommend this book to anyone who has ever thought of becoming a parent and been paralyzed by the overwhelming feeling of wanting to do everything “the right way.”

don’t forget to stop by the book release party in honor of megan this saturday at studio midtown in okc from 5-7 pm. hope to see you there!

.

behind this bookcase in an upstairs bedroom of my parents’ house lies a secret time capsule of the first twenty years of my life. it’s home to cherished mementos from milestones of my youth, dating back to the cross-stitched announcement of my birth.

–

memories here stretch from tutus to muddy caves, from pacifiers to awkward dates.

–

my family lived in the same house from the time i was born until my senior year of high school. during my freshman year of college, my parents finally finished building a gorgeous dream house on 20 acres at the edge of town.

my younger brother and sister were still living at home, and each had their own room in the new house. while it seemed silly to build a room for me, i still wanted a space to call my own when i came “home” during breaks from college. (and a place to put all my stuff, let’s be honest.)

–

.

so they decided to finish out a small, oddly-shaped storage area behind my sister’s bedroom, and designated it my “cubby.” i was thrilled. i requested the hidden door, and was so pleased when the builder created one just like i imagined.

i immediately determined there was no need for tasteful decoration in a secret cubby, and set about plastering the walls with all the pictures, plaques, and keepsakes that had been stashed in drawers and memory boxes in my old room. i nestled all the belongings i couldn’t part with into the wedged corner created by the angle of the roof, and set up my random trinkets on a small bookshelf.

–

the map & calendar of my european travels hangs just as it did in my netherlands flat.

–

the itty bitty foam couch unfolds into a pad just long enough for my short body, and i used to lie there staring at all my memories and grinning.

the cubby is not really secret, since almost everyone who has been been to the house has seen it, but it remains mostly untouched since i moved my stuff in, with the exception of adding souvenirs from my college years after i moved out of the sorority house. i love that all these things are on display where i can enjoy them any time i visit my family.

–

.

but i know the cubby can’t remain this way forever. eventually i’ll have to claim my stuff and it will all go into boxes where it will take much more effort to browse and reminisce. as i look around at the tokens, big and small, that i’ve collected over the years, i can’t imagine parting with any of it, but know i will have to choose.

the photos here are the beginning of my digital documentation of these keepsakes, so i can store the memories on my computer instead of the attic. the hardest part will be giving up any of the numerous handmade and mod-podged (hello, 90s!) gifts from precious friends.

–

prints from a photography class sit wedged behind a row of decoupaged crafts.

–

i’ll rescue the personalized boxes because they have the important job of containing other important keepsakes, and i can save the huge mickey mouse i won when i was eight for my (eventual) children. the same goes for my favorite comfort snuggies from way back: benny the bear and pink blankie.

but what about the box of playbills (nearly 50) from every musical i’ve seen in nyc, london, and dallas? what about the stack of trail maps (about 25) from every ski resort i’ve visited? and the large box of letters received over a cumulative eight months at summer kamp? will i really be able to justify making space for these things? there certainly won’t be room for the (shh, don’t tell my husband) boxes of sweet tokens from old boyfriends, homemade rockets from working at flight camp, knickknacks from high school musicals, micky ears from disney world…can you tell i’m a bit of a sentimental packrat?

i’m just going to savor my tiny time machine while it lasts.

———-

i was so hoping that this week would bring sunny skies so that i could take advantage of the mild spring temps to get in some good time tending to my garden while i’m in town (and before the intensity of the summer heat).

instead it has been overcast and rainy most of the week. (not that i don’t welcome the much-needed rain.) when the sun did peek out briefly, i instated a mandatory work-break and hurried outside to soak up the warm rays and work the softened soil in my veggie patch.

thankfully it was beautiful on the date set aside for the one day without shoes campaign – a challenge sponsored by TOMS shoes to raise awareness of the impact a pair of shoes can have on a child’s life. i saw lots of people in okc participating!

spring hasn’t officially arrived in oklahoma until you get the first slew of tornadoes. severe weather descended upon my neck of the woods for real as the weekend approached, and we’re under all kinds of warnings and watches for several days. twister season, commence! (stormy skies photo by joel limpic)

i’m extremely proud and excited for my good friend megan and the release of the book she co-authored: Spirit-Led Parenting: From Fear to Freedom in Baby’s First Year. next saturday there will be a book release party in her honor at studio midtown from 5-7 pm. even if you are not a parent or a Christian, i think you’ll love megan’s sincere approach to faith-based living and parenting. you are all invited to come meet megan, support an okie blogger and author, and buy an autographed book.

a few days ago i posted a blurb on the OLIOsnippits page about photographer joel robison’s series of images portraying the reading experience. book lovers, feast your eyes and imaginations.

i was thrilled when netflix’s streaming service started offering TED talks grouped by subject. now instead of playing old friends or seinfeld episodes in the background when i cook or clean, i soak these inspiring, fascinating, and ingenious short talks back to back. this video of from yves rossy, the “jetman” was particularly exciting to me, because i have always dreamed of flying high and free like a bird.

as someone who loves words precisely because each one is unique in it’s exact meaning and subtle connotations, this article on the thesauraus from lapham’s quarterly was an interesting read. i love the proposition that “there is no such thing as a synonym” while at the same time recognizing the value in an inventory of relationships between the senses of words.

next week i’ll be working in my hometown all week and my titu is thrilled to have me occupy “my chair” beside her for several evenings in a row. at the end of the week more family will be coming to town and we’ll get a chance to celebrate her 92nd birthday! i hope you all get some good family time this week, as well!

.

reading the book was a sort of deja-vu of watching it on screen, because the script stuck so closely to the novel. the biggest delight was drinking in the author’s drawings, or “mini-movies,” throughout the pages. it’s obvious that these illustrated scenes are not used just to supplement the story, but to actually drive the action forward without words. and the super-detailed hand-drawn pictures had a clear influence (gladly) on the movie adaptation.

i thought reading the book might give me more of the story that could not fit into the film, but what i got instead was a deeper look into hugo’s world. the book is focused more on hugo’s journey and point-of-view, with all the other characters playing a supporting role. the movie placed several characters in the spotlight, investing the viewer more in the feelings and struggles of isabelle and papa georges as well.

selznick’s drawings truly enhanced the book for me. they gave the extra-thick volume an enchanting effect that made me want to read the book lying on the floor on my stomach with my legs kicking up behind me like a kid engrossed in a treasure map. sitting in a chair or in bed with a side lamp seemed to grown-up.

do you like to read books that have inspired movies before or after you’ve seen the film? do you enjoy it when authors include illustrations in novels, or does it distract you?

——

not to complain (really–nobody likes when i get whiny), but this week has been characterized by technical difficulties. every digital device that i rely on in my daily life decided to cry mutiny this week, so it feels like i spent the majority of my days on the phone with technical support…or on hold.

but other than my electronic frustrations, the week held some really fun moments, too. i stayed an extra day in colorado to take in the mad scene known on snowy slopes everywhere as “gaper day“ (april fools’ day). i’ve just missed it many times before, and was convinced by my brother’s great photos that i needed to see it in person. i was not disappointed.

i was anxious to really give my garden some attention once i got back into town, but every day has been dreary, overcast, and rainy. i’m still taking advantage of the cooler temps and softer soil to rid the last of the weeds and start a few new veggies, but it’s more fun to tend a sunny garden. at least i can count on a few plants coming back strong without much help from me, like my beautiful strawberries and the tall onion chives. i was even surprised by some healthy red chard resurfacing while i was gone.

my days held several business and personal meetings, all of which brought good things. enjoying a belated birthday lunch with robyn was the highlight.

the one digital development that did go right this week was the release of the instagr.am app for android! i have been waiting for this for what seems like forever. now i have more incentive to participate in fatmumslim’s photo a day challenge for april! frustration with the inferiority of the flickr app made me unsure that i would continue participate once march’s list was complete, but now i’ll take any excuse to use my shiny new app!

as a grammar junkie, i got a kick out of a couple of articles on the word “whom” and if it should die or be revived. from criticizing the correctness of twitter’s “who to follow” to graphing the prevalence of whom in recent books, it seems to be something grammar police are fired up about. my philosophy on grammar and vocabulary definitely falls more under “descriptive” than “prescriptive.” i believe we should absolutely teach and promote correct usage, but if the evolution of language creates a new norm, i think that should be recognized as valid communication. 

if you have a bit of extra time, these five classic creative challenges compiled by the99percent are entertaining and revealing. test yourself and gain some insight on your creative strengths.

i hope you all have a wonderful and meaningful Easter tomorrow. i’ve truly been encouraged by the Artist Bible reading plan for Holy Week on youversion. if you haven’t had a chance to check out The Artist Bible, do it today!

.

manning has never been afraid to expose himself as a ragamuffin soul, tattered and flawed, but wholly accepted by God’s grace and love. his autobiography is no exception.

the author takes his readers on a meandering tour of his life, offering a brutally honest recount without a trace of sugar coating. his story might feel depressing and hopeless if it weren’t coming from a man whose central theme throughout his career has always been “Abba Father is enamored with you, warts and all.”

leave it to manning to not only indirectly inspire hope with his own story, but to explicitly challenge his readers to develop a trusting heart and openly accept the overwhelming love, grace, and forgiveness of a God who is enough.

have you read any of brennan manning’s books? do you think a non-fiction author can share a message more or less effectively through his or her own story?

please allow me to indulge for a moment and update this personal weblog with an account i’d like to record for posterity… because when i reach a goal, i don’t want to miss the chance commemorate, share, and celebrate. plus, i want to remember the details, because even if i repeat the experience, i don’t think it will be as thrilling as my first time.

one of my goals for 2012 was to run a half-marathon sometime before the end of the year. i gave myself a long window of time, because it seemed like a monumental task to tackle. (my marathoner friends, bear with me. you amaze me.) i had never run more than ten tired miles in my life, and was only comfortable with about six when i set the goal. i figured doubling my regular distance would take some time.

but when scheduling conflicts developed and my fall race was no longer an option, i realized that i’d have to run much sooner than planned if i wanted to achieve half-marathoner status in 2012. so when i discovered a race two weeks out on my mom‘s birthday weekend, i decided to run it in memory of her and hope she and her angel friends would whisk me forward if i pooped out.

the problem was, i was already scheduled to work an all-day event the day before the race. on my feet. for fourteen hours. until 12:30 am. oh, and the other problem was i hadn’t really been training that consistently, because, you know, i wasn’t planning to race for many months yet. but ill-prepared, worn-out legs, and inadequate sleep be darned, i was going to try.

the morning of the race was chilly but not cold, overcast but not raining yet, and incredibly windy. i felt good, but confirmed my backup plan just in case: dad and lee stationed themselves at the halfway point offering two choices: sugar calories if i needed more energy, and the car if i needed a ride home. so with the 33mph gusts defying us to move forward, the crowd started running at the horn.

it always takes me a while to settle into a groove, but by the third mile i was just enjoying the scenery around the lake. i didn’t carry a timepiece, instead allowing my music to set my pace. when i have a time goal, i will obsessively calculate my pace throughout a run. i wanted to enjoy the experience, and i knew if i pushed too hard i might not finish, especially under the circumstances.

previous runs indicated that i could finish in 2:15 if i maintained my average pace throughout the race. i decided i would be happy with anything under 2:30. the fastest time i thought was possible for my conditioning was 2:10.

when i hit the halfway point feeling fresh at just 63 minutes, i knew i was having a good day. i waved happily to my small cheering section, grabbed a fistful of honey packets out of lee’s outstretched hand, and turned back toward the finish line.

as i ran the second half, periodically sucking down mouthfuls of refreshing sweetness, i was grateful for the wind now at my back, the motivating tunes in my ears, and the cheerful volunteers at the water stations. i was also thankful for the little fortunes (or lack of common annoyances): earphones not straying, ponytail not drooping, clothes not chafing, knees not aching, side not stitching.

and i tried not to think about the 11th mile.

everyone told me, “if you can run ten miles, you can run thirteen.” but i couldn’t help thinking that the extra 31% seemed significant. so every step after the ten-mile mark was  a milestone for me. “this is the farthest i’ve ever run.”

at twelve miles i knew i was going to make it, so i put an imaginary bulls-eye on the back of a girl in a purple shirt who’d been about 100 yards in front of me for the last five miles. i was determined to pass her by the time we reached the finish line. with the help of a downhill grade for the last mile, i flew past her and practically sprinted to the end.

i was shocked to see 2:04:36 on the clock as i crossed the finish line. obviously i’m thrilled with my time, but i’m honestly just as happy that that i wasn’t miserable for the last several miles that and i didn’t have to quit. it feels awesome to have one of my big 2012 goals crossed off the list. thanks for letting me re-live it here.

—–

my week in colorado has not been your typical mid-march visit. last year at this time the snow was still dumping by the foot. this year you could comfortably wear a light hoodie at the top of the peak.

with the in-town temps reaching the 60s in the afternoons, i was happy to head across the street and take advantage of a favorite summertime activity — a jog along the lake trail. i kept the distance short and the pace slow so as not to burst my lungs sucking in the thin mountain air, but the clear skies and glassy frozen water were too beautiful not to enjoy close-up.

i’ve become so addicted to snowboarding that i only strapped on my skis one day this trip…the only time the whole season, come to think of it. this is a semi-shocking development for this hard-core skiing fan, but i think having a boarding instructor as my host may have something to do with it.

palm sunday is tomorrow, which signifies the beginning of holy week, or “passion week,” leading up to easter sunday. a new project called The Artist Bible is launching with the first installments coinciding with holy week. TAB is “a living response to the Living Word,” and a collaboration of oklahoma city artists have contributed the first artistic responses to Scripture to be included in the project. look for the release on the youversion Bible app and follow @theartistbible on twitter to keep up with new contributions to the project.

i got a good giggle out of this article about the world’s leading laugh scientist from mental floss. i love to laugh, obviously, and i’m afraid too much information from the field of laugh science would ruin the magic for me. but this short piece with observations on tickling, history of a laughing epidemic, and data on laughter as medicine was fun and interesting.

earlier in the week i posted a video of ballet dancers moving in slow motion on the OLIOsnippets page. if you missed it, you must take a few minutes to watch it now. the extraordinary power and grace of their movements is highlighted by the slo-mo and an awesome radiohead remix.

visually-pleasing surroundings are important in creating the desired atmosphere of a space. you want your bedroom to be peaceful, your living room to be inviting, and your office to be inspiring. i’m always trying to make the space where i work more creatively motivating, so i was eager to browse through this gallery of 60 walls that aren’t boring from office snapshots. while the walls featured there could certainly inspire, few are easily re-produced and some just seem distracting. but boring? no.

i head home tomorrow, after i get in one more day of riding the slopes. if the sun hasn’t already melted all the snow away, that is.

Filed under: okieOLIO ]]> http://okieolio.com/2012/03/31/saturday-summary-the-mountains-week/feed/ 0 trisha @ okieOLIO TheArtistBible http://okieolio.com/2012/03/30/figment-friday-tough-minutes/ http://okieolio.com/2012/03/30/figment-friday-tough-minutes/#comments Fri, 30 Mar 2012 15:58:02 +0000 t http://okieolio.com/?p=3433 ]]> you know my favorite daily theme from the week is going to be the one with the seinfeld reference. today’s figment friday channels george costanza. it was fun to write, but this is honestly my least favorite of the responses i’ve shared. it’s pretty uninteresting and seriously lacking in creativity.

PROMPT: In “The Busboy” episode of Seinfeld, George refers to moments like letting the car warm-up or waiting for your hair conditioner to work as “tough minutes.” Narrate a character’s thoughts in one of these “tough minutes.” What does he or she think about during those interminable seconds? 

downloading…downloading…c’mon, load already! why is it stuck at 47 percent? did i lose connection? no, it’s just slow. i don’t remember the internet here being so sluggish.

don’t watch the status bar, or it’ll never complete. it’s like waiting for water to boil. find something else to do…make a phone call. um…i know, i need to let corey know about the schedule change, anyway. oh, but it would probably be better in an email. yeah, i’ll email him later.

maybe i’ll get a refill of tea. what time is it…almost lunch? ugh, not nearly. i’m gonna need a snack. only 62 percent?! okay, stop looking at it.

i’ll go get that paperwork from the car after i order something to drink and eat. but as soon as i start working on something else, it will finish downloading, of course.

oh! it’s finally done! what? “cannot open file.” you’ve got to be kidding me.

.

set in earth’s future, the novel presents humankind in conflict with an alien species called “buggers” by the humans. in preparation for an anticipated third invasion of the buggers, an international fleet has a school to train future commanders…among very young children. the world’s most talented children, including andrew “ender” wiggin, are taken as early as age six to a battle school where teachers train them in the arts of war through increasingly difficult games in zero gravity.

card’s takes a potential contrived plot and creates something extraordinary with skillful development of his main character’s genius, brutality, and vulnerability, and clever pacing in revealing the complexity of the tactical games.

some of the major underlying themes at play here are the same as another wildly popular story about a game — violence among children and the government taking children from their families. the moral dilemmas presented in ender’s game are the source of much criticism toward the book.

i truly enjoyed the story, and then i listened to an interview with the author (regarding this novel) that gave me an even deeper appreciation for ender and his game. i want to read more books in ender’s saga and also the ender’s shadow series, and am now really looking forward to the movie due out next year.

how do you feel when reading dystopian books like ender’s game and the hunger games that address political and moral issues so directly? why do you think these types of books become so popular?

——–

after the busyness of last week and a very full weekend, i was happy to take a self-imposed spring break from posting.

between gathering with my family last weekend to honor my mom‘s birthday, an impromptu visit to my titu mid-week, and a double date with great friends last night, i feel refreshed and energized by time with those i love.  

on sunday i completed my first half-marathon with  great success! i was worried that my sporadic training, 14-hour on-my-feet event the day before, and four hours of sleep would make the race miserable, but i felt remarkably good the entire time. i finished much faster than i ever thought i could — 2:04:32! i’m very pleased with the experience and glad to have that 2012 goal crossed off my list. (and eight months ahead of my initial timeline!)

thursday night we went to the midnight showing of the hunger games! i feel like i’ve been waiting for this movie forever, so i was worried that my expectations might be too high. but the film did not disappoint, and i am one satisfied fan. i felt like they chose well when it came to including or excluding details, and the adaptation was true to the original story. nothing about the visual experience opposed what i had created in my imagination – excellent movie!

the unseasonably warm weather has been great for walks around the neighborhood pond, and i’m trying to take advantage of the comfortable temps while they’re here. but it makes me very nervous about the inevitably extreme summer. i suspect gardening will be challenging, again, this year.

today i leave for colorado to visit my brother and his wife for a week. i’m anxious to get back on the board and maybe get in some time on my skiis, too, before the snow disappears with the too-early warmth.

seeing as i will be passing through denver today, i found this article on the denver airport from the chive very interesting. i’ve been to DEN many times, and have noticed but never examined the oddities found there. i had no idea how deep the weirdness goes!

we’re excited about the return (finally!) of mad men tomorrow, and the media has been all abuzz about it. i’ve seen a few features on how the production gets it right when aiming for historic authenticity on the set with props, clothing, and circumstantial details. but this article from the hot word examining the accuracy of the language on mad men was especially fascinating to this word-junkie.

jeff goins post on how to improve your writing in one counter-intuitive way was a factor in my decision to take a bloggy spring break. although i still had work deadlines to write for, i can feel the positive effects that rest provides. “What happens when you rest — truly rest — is nothing short of amazing and miraculous.”

only one more week in march — wow. the photo-a-day challenge has been fun, but i’m still undecided on continuing in april. i’ll just continue to savor march a while longer…2012 is going so fast.

.

in the airport bookstore on the way to our honeymoon, lee and i each picked out a novel to enjoy on the long airplane ride and lazy days on the beach. this was my choice. it’s thicker than i usually go for in a traveling book, but my interest was piqued by creative syllabus format (each chapter in the “core curriculum” is named for a classic work of fiction, with a final exam at the end and a glossary of terms on the cover flap). i was convinced to give it a try by the description of the sixteen-year-old heroine, blue van meer, as brainy and deadpan with a head full of literary, philosophical, scientific, and cinematic knowledge.

after moving to yet another remote academic outpost with her professor father, blue finds herself eyeball-deep in a series of inexplicable events and eventually a murder mystery. at first i was completely delighted by pessl’s bibliography-style descriptions and hand-drawn “visual aids” sprinkled throughout the book. the perpetual student in me was thrilled to be immersed in academic vocabulary and references to great literature as a tool to paint detail into a work of fiction.

somewhere around chapter 24 the incessant research paper-esque citing became tedious…and then i began to appreciate it for it’s significance to the story and not just a clever writing style. i was also pleasantly surprised by the skilled weaving in of uncommon words and the unexpected turn in the plot. i was certainly entertained and closed the book quite satisfied with my impulsive choice.

have you read this book? does the idea of reading a novel with style elements of a term paper sound exciting or mind-numbing to you?

—–

this week started with the amazing marked event, which was a fantastic success. every year it feels more cohesive, more interactive, and more meaningful.

for the three days following the event, the partner organization leaders are invited to stay for a retreat called postMARKed. the spero project organizes a series of sessions designed to equip the staff and volunteers of these amazing groups. i feel very fortunate to have been invited again this year, and know it was three days well spent this week.

most of the sessions are lead by counselors, pastors, and business leaders in okc, but we were also lucky enough to snag jen hatmaker for a day! hearing her teach in person, and getting to chat with her among the small group over lunch, made my read-along of 7 come alive with the author’s voice.

this week i have something extra exciting coming up. i am proud and terrified to announce that i will be running the strides of march half marathon next weekend! running a half was one of my goals for 2012, and i had initially given myself a long deadline, aiming for the route 66 in tulsa this november. but this race came to my attention because it is in okc, not very hilly, and the entire course is set around a lake. also, the registration fee is lower than any i’ve seen .

i know i’m conditioned physically, but i’m still intimidated mentally because i had set my mind on the end of the year. i’m not setting an aggressive time goal, i just hope i finish respectably, and in one piece. this is what happens when you have lots of enthusiastic friends who are fond of saying “just go for it!”

i’m still taking a photo a day, although for some reason not all of them are making it to my flickr photostream from the app. but i do enjoy capturing one moment per day (day 7 – “something i wore” above), and plan to stick with it through march. (we’ll see about april)

between postMARKed and geeking out over national grammar day, i didn’t spend too much time browsing the web this week. but i did enjoy this video of first-grader audri’s rube goldberg machine. the bright seven-year-old saw ok go’s this too shall pass video (one of my faves) and was inspired to make his own machine. what a smart and enthusiastic kid.

the excitement and controversy over Invisible Children‘s new film and campaign, Kony 2012, also captured my attention for much of the week. if you are confused by the flurry of both enthusiasm and criticism flying around the web and other media, the best place to start (after you’ve watched the video) is the official response to from Invisible Children. the most comprehensive list of the resources i’ve seen was compiled by rachel held evans — thank you, rachel, for gathering and organizing everything in one spot!

don’t forget to set your clocks forward an hour tonight — hooray for brighter nights!

it’s figment friday, again. it’s been a busy week, but i am determined to stay committed to the daily themes.

Prompt: Inspired by Elisa, who is pushed into a political marriage on her 16th birthday in The Girl of Fire and Thorns, write a story about a significant birthday in 16 words or fewer.

“gerald can’t upstage me on my 85th birthday,” herb thought as he dramatically clutched his chest.

Filed under: language ]]> http://okieolio.com/2012/03/09/figment-friday-sixteen-words/feed/ 0 trisha @ okieOLIO http://okieolio.com/2012/03/08/trauma/ http://okieolio.com/2012/03/08/trauma/#comments Thu, 08 Mar 2012 20:39:27 +0000 t http://okieolio.com/?p=3390 ]]> the session was over. everyone was moving toward the coffee machine or the bathrooms for the short break when she spoke up.

“can i just add one thing?” of course we all stopped and turned toward the voice.

“we’ve been talking about how to counsel women who have experienced traumatic things in life, and even how to prevent feeling traumatized ourselves through hearing the horribly disturbing stories, but i feel like i should mention another way being involved in this kind of work might threaten your emotional well-being.”

the group of women—leaders of amazing advocacy organizations—were all listening intently as she continued.

“a psychologist once told me that real emotional trauma can be caused by any experience outside of your own norm. i used to beat myself up for continuing to feel distraught over my divorce while i was face-to-face with real agony every day in the lives of these trafficked women. i felt so self-centered for feeling sad about my own circumstances when my troubles looked like nothing compared to what they go through.”

i lost it. it was like God was speaking straight to me. how many times have i scolded myself for my sorrow, frustration, or anger over losing my mom, when right in front of me so many are suffering from injustices far more overwhelming than my hurts? i tried to hide my tears as she offered a last word of encouragement.

“i just want you all to take to heart the truth that your hurts are not insignificant or unjustified. what you experience is real, and God cares about your trauma just as much as the woman who has lost her entire family while fleeing her country, or the girl who has been physically and emotionally tortured her entire life.”

those words, which almost didn’t get shared, impacted me just as much as anything said during the sessions over those three days. i know many of my friends care deeply about social justice and often find themselves facing heartache in the circumstances of the orphans, the poor, and the ignored and mistreated. please remember that your personal hurts are not to be disregarded or belittled. i know i needed the reminder.

.

i have always enjoyed mcwhorter’s style of teaching — i borrowed his lecture on “the story of language” from the library and listened to all twelve hours in rapt attention. i admit that i’m already a fan of the subject matter, but mcwhorter has a way of making the international origins of English words and syntax patterns seem like a lively story.

he covers everything from the the odd use of the word “do” in question form to the claim that language reveals culture. i connected with his attitude toward the maddening nature of arbitrary English rules…he seemed to convey an exasperated affection as you would feel for an unruly family member.

one of my favorite things about this book is that he points out how it’s silly to get upset over broken rules like a preposition at the end of a sentence or split infinitives, because the entire history of the English language is of an ever-changing grammar with many broken rules along the way. somehow my brain naturally distinguishes between an evolving way of communication like simplified sentence structure (acceptable), and blatant, lazy errors like mistaken homophones: it’s/its, their/there, or your/you’re (so annoying).

this book may not be your cup of tea, but it is certainly not out of reach, even if you are not a linguaphile. if you speak English, you can appreciate this story.

do you ever think about why we use the words we do? what is one oddity of the English language that has always made you scratch your head in wonder?

national grammar day may officially only last 24 hours, but i think it deserves an entire week…or at least a few days. to continue in the fun started on sunday, i’ve rounded up some of the fun grammar    resources that have popped around the web.

———————————-

online universities did us all a favor and collected 100 fun and informative blog posts that every grammar geek should bookmark. they are even categorized into handy groups: parts of speech, punctuation, word choice, style, usage, myth-busting, word origins, and just for fun. great browsing for anyone who cares about using the English language properly.

———————————-

if you prefer your grammar in 140 character bites, check out these popular twitter grammarians:

          @grammarmonster—lots of factoids about our lovely language.

          @apstylebook—the essential style guide remains the best place to take specific style questions.

          @grammargirl—mignon fogarty’s podcast episodes are just as fun and helpful as her tweets.

          @copyblogger—great resource for any writer who wants to continually improve.

          @grammarsnark—laugh at this bad grammar and “drunken proofreading” in professional writing.

———————————-

i love interactive tools, and Visuwords™ online graphical dictionary is one of my favorites. more than just an addictive vocabulary builder, the active and colorful display shows words’ relationship to other words and concepts both in part of speech and in meaning. awesome sauce!

———————————-

and, of course, you can always rely on schoolhouse rock to offer catchy grammar-themed tunes. can you remember all the words to this classic?

you know this language junkie couldn’t let today pass without recognition. while i’ll be spending my day at the marked event, there will be more celebration of grammar to come on okieOLIO this week. let the grammar fun below tide you over until then. (wait, i’m the only one giddy about this?)

——————————————————-

Baltimore writer and editor John McIntyre of the “You Don’t Say” blog continues his tradition of writing a grammarnoir series to commemorate National Grammar Day.

NEW for 2012: Grammarnoir 4: Final Edition

Part I: “A Belle in the Night”
Part II: “The Mission”
Part III: “The Belly of the Beast”
Part IV: “The Chief”

——————————————————-

other great national grammar day articles:

Celebrating the Orderly Flow of Words in Our Lives by Alan Headbloom

A Tongue-in-Cheek National Grammar Day Quiz by Dennis Baron

5 Easy Ways to Learn Grammar with The New York Times by Katherine Schulten

——————————————————-

and grammar cartoons, of course:

via xkcd.com

via yawcomic.com

——

good thing lee and i got three dates in last week, because this week i was on the road monday through friday for work. it’s no fun to be away from my other half for that long, but it is very fun to hang with my dad and titu all week. i’m lucky that one of my biggest clients is in my hometown.

after watching others post a photo a day in january and february, i finally decided to play along with fat mum slim’s photo challenge. i hope it will help me be creative in documenting daily life. i’m using flickr’s app, which offers the same fun features as instagram. this works well for me because i already store all my photos on flickr, but i wish it had the same community as instagram.

tomorrow is the much-anticipated marked event—if you’re in the okc area, you don’t want to miss this. read this article and watch this video if you are still on the fence. hope to see you there!

the best thing i ate all week was a twist on this baked millet recipe from mark bittman’s cookbook. i have very little experience cooking with millet, but we tried it two different ways and both were easy and delicious!

this article on harvard business review got my attention: to-do lists don’t work. i’m a huge list-maker, and fill up my gtasks app with everything from work deadlines and phone calls to errands and crafty projects. i wonder if the strategy suggested in the article would help me stop extending the due date on certain tasks.

i was surprised by this list of the 8 easiest languages for english-speakers to learn. i would never have guessed that romanian would top the list. i actually worked with a romanian all week and listened to her speak her native tongue on phone conversations, and it seemed more unfamiliar than some of the romance languages or dutch and german.

next week i’ll begin to prep my garden for spring. the arrival of march is usually my signal to get started, and the warm weather this week certainly feels like spring. it’s still a little early for most things to go in the ground, so i’ll be taking advantage of the warm days to remove winter weeds, rake in the new compost, and starting seedlings in small pots (that can be taken inside when we inevitably get another freeze). i also want to make this cute idea for plant markers that i found on pinterest. hooray for a new garden season!

scientist mlodinow pulls back the curtain to show us how the magician in our daily lives is randomness. he claims we overestimate the significance of everything from casual interactions to major setbacks, and so we often attribute successes and failures to “obvious” causes, when they are actually more profoundly influenced by chance.

mlodinow offers examples from the classroom and the supermarket to big financial markets and the White House, and each is more intriguing than the last. the author convincingly demonstrates that ratings, grades, polls, and many other things we rely on are just not…well, reliable.

this was certainly an interesting read. truly thought-provoking ideas. i can’t decide if the evidence and concepts the author presents are encouraging, or just encourage apathy. and as a believer in the One Whose Hand is at Work in this world, i have to think that many of these “random coincidences” are just not.

the point of this calculated tour of randomness, chance, and probability is to remind us that much in our lives is about as predictable as the steps of a stumbling drunk. i’m not sure what my conclusion is, but i definitely was not bored reading this book.

do you believe that randomness plays a major role in life’s events? does this idea make you feel relieved or hopeless?

you are a selfish, selfish person. i hear my thoughts as if they are being hissed in my ears. how can you let your frustrations rob the joy from beautiful new beginnings?

i stare at myself in the mirror and play the mind-game again. what if? suppose it happens tomorrow? what then? i squeeze my eyes shut in imagination and try to decipher my swirling emotions. fear? not quite. nervousness? only a little. excitement? dread? joy? sorrow? perhaps all of the above.

the part of my heart that throbs with the chronic dull pain wants no part it—the inevitable wringer of heart-wrenching grief traps that would surely lie in wait if we were to take that step. that piece of me would much rather decline the invitation for constant glaring reminders that someone is missing. woefully, unjustly absent.

then the sensible side of my spirit speaks up again in that unkind, berating tone. you can’t allow your disappointment over a trashed first draft to prevent you from writing an awesome second one. this is about building your family with your husband, not your lost moments with your mom.

but it’s about both. because a large part of me is convinced that as soon as i start preparing for kids of my own without being able to share it with my mother, that this shaky daily survival that i’ve established will be rocked again. i worry that i won’t be able to maintain the normal-ish, mostly happy existence that i’ve settled into over the past eighteen months. the very thought is enough to make me want to avoid the possibility altogether.

i thought the bliss from the birth of my precious, precious niece would help prove my pessimistic side wrong.   and it did.   kinda.   but the thought of walking through that experience personally, and not just alongside my sister, still leaves me a little broken inside.

BUT

i still hope for new beginnings. i still dream of building a legacy with lee, and passing down the legacy handed to me. and i still believe my God will sustain me with the inexplicable joy amidst the sorrow that only He is capable of—in the same way he has always delivered before.

His whispers are louder than my hissing thoughts: “there is no way your hurt or dismay can rob the joy from the beautiful new beginnings I bring.”

—

this post is a response to a challenge by jeff goins to write something dangerous, to share something scary. just write.

photo by haleigh russell

lee and i were pleasantly surprised with the opportunity to attend not one, but two okc thunder games this week. we’re big fans, but sadly not season-ticket holders, so we’re grateful to occasionally use friends’ extra tickets.

these two spontaneous date nights followed a the leisurely lunch outing we were able to enjoy on monday because of the federal holiday gave lee a day off. so, all in all, he probably feels like he’s good-to-go for awhile on the whole “date your wife” thing.

tomorrow is one of my favorite okc happenings: the sing. some of the most talented okc musicians come together to lead anyone and everyone in a night of worship and prayer  for our city. each event (occurring every few months) benefits a different cause, and tomorrow’s sing will bring awareness to the issue of marginalized women locally and globally, and promote the marked okc event next week.

i finally started reading jen hatmaker’s 7. it felt like the appropriate book to start on ash wednesday. i had hoped to finish the book by easter sunday, but then i noticed that marla taviano is hosting a read along starting next week. participating in that group would mean taking a little longer with the book (probably a good thing), and i think this would be a good experiment to engage with others on. if you have read or plan to read this book, please let me know — i’d love to discuss!

finding these free iTunes U courses for writers and readers was a thrill for the perpetual student in me, and i’ve been trying to squeeze them in while running errands or doing chores. i’ve only listened to a few of stanford university’s literature of crisis, but it seems like the courses are high quality.

earlier this week i stumbled upon a wonderful short film and posted it on the OLIOsnippits page. click over there to read my brief description and view the fifteen-minute work. if you love books as much as i do, you will love this wordless animated treat.

next week we get a magical “extra day.” do you have any crazy plans for leap day? because you know, real life is for march. nothing that happens on leap day counts!

it seems as if the figment daily themes editors are purposely saving the best prompts for last each week, because friday’s theme is consistently my favorite (and therefore the one i want to share) (meaning that figment friday gets posted later in the day) (not that anyone notices ). today’s theme leads me to share some insight into my average day.

approximate number of things on my to-do list when i wake up: 84

percentage of those items that will remain “to-do” when i go to sleep: 75

chances that the tasks accomplished will not be the ones intended for that date: 3 in 5

minimum cups of tea required to fuel my day: 6

frequency of pointless distractions: 3 per hour

number of times i open the back door to let the dogs in or out if i work from home: 14

number of times i stop working to chat with a friend if i work from a local coffee shop: 14

percentage by which distractions tighten deadlines: 100

percentage by which my efficiency increases under looming deadlines: 200

probability that either the ember days or the sleep design is playing in my headphones: .82

estimated number of emails sent or received containing the words “revise,” “draft,” or “review” in the subject line: 17

number of emails received that fall into the “newsletters i subscribe to but will barely have time to skim” category: 12

minimum number of photo texts of my niece that i demand from my sister: 1

average number of minutes spent throughout the day smiling at photos of my niece: 7

hours spent running errands: 2

percentage of those hours spent standing in line: 25

percentage of line-waiting time spent reading on my phone:90

chances that i will try to fit in time to run: 3 in 7

percentage increase of run cravings over the previous decade: 300

factor by which food is more likely than entertainment to motivate me to finish work or chores: 5.6

average minutes spent watching tv with lee: 90

probability that i will be snacking while we watch: .99

minutes spent missing my mom: more than i wish to count

minutes spent worrying that i’m not living up to my goals, others’ expectations, or God’s plan for me: more than i should

minutes spent feeling like the luckiest girl in the world: more than i deserve

minutes spent in prayer to make it through the day: incalculable

likelihood, in percent, that at the end of the day i will feel that life is good: 100